Gin-feeder and separator.



No. 727,700. PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

. J. W. SEIFERT. T

GIN FEEDER AND SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED 11110.23. 190g.

- 10 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

7 By g a I Attorney n4: yonmsyirzns co. PHDYD-LITHQ, wAsumoTon. u c.

UNITED STAfr s Patented May 12, 1903.

f P TENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. SEIFERT, OF COLUMBUS, GEORG IA.

G IN-FE EDER AND SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,700, dated May 12, 1903. Application filed December 3,1962. seat... 136.375. (N0 model.)

To ctZlwhom it may concern:

Be it known that], JOHN WLSEIFERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Muscogee, State'of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gin-Feeders and Separators, of which the following'is a specificatio n,"reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. A

This invention relates to a cotton ginfeeder,

and particularly to an improved constructionof bat-forming; mechanismanda separator to remove from the picked cotton any foreign substanceremaining therein.-

The invention has for an object to provide an improved construction of bat-former comprising a feed-roller, a bat-forming roller, and a picker roller cooperating with. a screened surface extending concentrically therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a separator comprising a series of rolls driven at successively different speeds and spaced from each other to permit the fall of foreign substances from the picked cotton as it passes over these rolls.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of'driving mechanism for cooperatively actuating the several movable parts in order to secure the proper feed of the cotton through'the machine. r

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof definedv by the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of one end of the gin-feeder; Fig. 2, a similar view of the opposite end; Fig. 3, a central vertical section through the same; and Fig. 4, a detail longitudinal section through the feeding-roller.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The letter A'designates acasing,which may be of any desired construction, having a feedopening A at its upper portion and a dirt-discharge A at one side thereof, while a cottondischarge chute A is disposed at the opposite side and from which the clean material falls into the gin. Beneath the feed-opening A a feed-roller B, provided with teeth or spikes Bupon its periphery, is mounted in the casing by means of its shaft B feed-roller a bat-forming rollerG is provided At one side of this fth'erefrom, whiletheroller is mounted in the ifraine by means of the shaft D ;to this picker-roller is a screen D Which may Concentric be of any desired construction, though preferably formed of: longitudinally-extending slats spaced apart the proper distance to permit the passage between the same of cottonstems or other matter-which it is desired to liberate from the cotton as it passes between the screen and picker-roller. Thisscreen extends from the partition 1) at one side of the bat-former C to the: plate D at the opposite side of the picker-roller D, and the material discharged over'said plate passes through the discharge-chute *A and over the series of separator-rolls E. *In'order to secure'the most desirable feed in the gin, theteeth upon the feed-roller B are made of greater length at each end, as shown at B and gradually decrease in length toward the center of the roller.

produce a heavier or larger feed at the ends I of the roller,as better results are thus secured Theobject of this is to in the subsequent action of the gin upon the cotton fedthereto. The dirt and material passing through the slatted screen D falls down the chute A and is conveyed therefrom by any suitable form of conveyor, as shown at A The separating-rolls E are each provided with a smooth surface and are spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit any foreign matter carried by the picked cottonto fall by gravity between the rolls. The shafts E of each of these rolls are suitably mounted in the sides of the chute A andthe rolls'are each rotated in the same.direction,but'at-an increasing speed,- so that the cotton inpass ing thereover will be picked up by the roller in advance and carried thereover onto the next roller, and thus prevented from passing downward between the rollers, while the cotton being in a picked or open condition any foreign matter-such as hulls, nails, gravel, or other substances liable to injure the ginsaws-will fall by gravity and be caught in the box or casing A disposed beneath the separator-rolls and can be removed therefrom by means of the door A, as shown in Fig. 3.

For the purpose of driving the several movable parts of the mechanism a driving-wheel F may be secured to the shaft D of the pickerroller, which shaft will also carry a frictionwheel F, adapted to engage the periphery of a similar wheel F mounted upon the anglearm F of the lever F, which is pivotally mounted upon the casing at F tion-wheel F also carries a sprocket-gear F from which a suitable chain F extends over the series of sprockets F F and F disposed upon the shafts E of the separatingrolls These sprockets are of successively smaller diameter, so that by the passage of the chain thereover the rolls driven thereby will be given successively greater speeds of rotation. By means of the lever F the friction wheel F may be thrown out of. engagement with its cooperating member F and the rotation of the separator-rolls thus stopped, while this lever may be normally drawn downward to throw and hold the friction-wheels together by means of a spring G. It can also be engaged and held in its proper position to separate the wheels by means of a catch Gr.

The shaft H, upon which the friction-wheel F is mounted, is extended through the easing to the opposite end of the machine, said casing being suitably slotted to permit the oscillatory movement of the shaft, and the opposite end of the shaft is provided with a friction-roller H, supported in a bracket H and adapted to engage a disk H normally held in contact therewith by means of a spring H extending between the disk and the bearing H through which the shaft 1-1 of the friction-disk passes. This shaft is provided at its opposite end with a worm-gear H and a contact-plate I1 adapted to be engaged by a lever H, pivotally mounted upon the end of the machine and provided with a handle H, by means of which the shaft H may be shifted longitudinally to withdraw the friction-disk from contact with the roller II. Meshing with the worm H is a pinion 1, carried upon the shaft B of the feed-roller, and the opposite end of this shaft is provided with a similar pinion I, meshing with a pinion 1 upon the shaft 0 of the bat-forming roller, thus providing means for driving these several rollers at the proper relative speed of rotation.

In the operation of the invention it will be seen that the cotton fed upon the feed-roller B will be carried thereby toward the bat forming roller C, from whence it will be removed by the teeth of the picker-roller,which separates and opens the cotton, so as to permit the escape therefrom of dirt, hulls, and other refuse as it passes between the pickerroller and the concentricslatted screen. The

The triograduated teeth upon the feed-roller produce a heavier feed at each end thereof and a consequently more efficient service in the gin, while the slatted screen permits the escape of a larger percentage of the refuse than ordinarily. The cotton when fed from the picker-roller passes upon the separator-rolls, between which the foreign matter contained in the cotton is adapted to fall, and by rotating each of these rolls faster than the successive one the cotton, which would otherwise be carried downward by the other roller, is immediately picked up and thrown onto the next roller, thus performing the work of a holler-gin and preparing the cotton for direct introduction into the gin without danger or injury to the saws thereof. These rolls are rotated at any suitable high rate of speed and may be driven by any desired mechanism. These rolls also improve the condition of cotton fed into the gin, as if a bunch or lump occurs the movement of the rolls separates it and produces an even feed into the g1 n.

It will be obvious that changes may be made in the details of construction and configuration without departing from the spirit' Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a gin-feeder, a casing, a toothed batforming roller, a toothed pickerroller beneath said forming-roller and cooperating with the teeth thereof, and a toothed feedroller at one side of and opposite both batformer and picker-roller to feed material between the same; substantially as specified.

2. In a gin-feeder, a casing, a toothed feedroller, a toothed bat-former at one side thereof, a toothed picker roller beneath said former, a cotton-discharge chute from said picker-roller, and separator-rolls rotatably mounted therein and spaced from each other; substantially as specified.

3. In a gin-feeder, a casing, a toothed feedroller, a toothed bat-former at one side thereof, a toothed picker roller beneath said former, a cotton-discharge chute from said picker-roller,separator-rolls rotatably mounted therein and spaced from each other, and means for rotating said rolls at successively higher speeds; substantially as specified.

4. In a gin-feeder, a casing, a toothed feedroller, a toothed bat-former at one side thereof, a toothed picker roller beneath said former, a cotton-discharge chute from said picker-roller,separator-rolls rotatably mounted therein and spaced from each other, means for rotating said rolls at successively higher speeds, a collecting-chamber beneath said rolls, a slatted screen concentric to one side of the picker-roller, and a dirt-chute beneath said screen; substantially as specified.

5. In a gin-feeder, a casing having a top opening, a feeder-roller beneath the same IIO having teeth decreasing in length from the ends toward the center thereof, a bat-forming roller, and a toothed picker-roller cooperating therewith and with the feed-roller; substantially as specified.

6. In a gin-feeder; a feed-roller, a batformer, a picker-roller, a cotton-discharge chute therefrom, and separator-rolls disposed in said chute and having smooth peripheries spaced from each other; substantially as specified.

7. In a gin-feeder, a feed-roller, a batformer, a picker-roller, a cotton-discharge chute therefrom, separator-rolls disposed in said chute and having smooth peripheries spaced from each other, sprocket-wheels of different diameters upon the shafts of said rolls, and a driving-chain-engaging said sprocket-wheels; substantially as specified.

8. In a gin-feeder, a feed-roller, a batformer, a picker-roller, a cotton discharge chute therefrom, separator-rolls disposed in said chute and spaced from each other, sprocket-wheels of different diameters upon the shafts of said rolls, a driving-chain engaging said sprocket-wheels, a driving-shaft carrying a friction-wheel thereon, a lever-arm provided with a counter-shaft carrying a 00- operating friction driving wheel, and a sprocket-wheel carried by said friction driving-wheel adapted to drive said chain; substantially as specified.

9. In a gin-feeder, a feed-roller, a batformer, a picker-roller, a cotton-discharge chute therefrom, separator-rolls disposed in said chute and spaced from each other, sprocket-wheels of different diameters upon the shafts of said rolls, a driving-chain engaging said sprocket-wheels, a driving-shaft carrying a f riction-wheel thereon, a lever-arm provided with a counter-shaft carrying a cooperating friction driving-Wheel, a sprocketwheel carried by said friction driving-wheel adapted to drive said chain, a friction-roller rs C) upon the opposite end of said counter-shaft, an angularly-disposed shaft carrying a disk to contact with said roller, a driving-worm carrying a friction-Wheel thereon, a lever-arm provided with a counter-shaft carrying a 00- operating friction driving-Wheel, a sprocketwheel carried by said friction driving-wheel adapted to drive said chain, a friction-roller upon the opposite end of said counter-shaft, an angularly-disposed shaft carrying a disk to contact with said roller, a driving-worm upon said shaft, a gear upon the shaft of the feed-roller engaging said worm,a gear upon the opposite end of the feed-roller shaft, a cooperating gear carried by the bat former shaft, a spring for retaining said friction-disk in contact with its roller, a head at the opposite end of the disk-shaft, and means for engaging said head to reciprocate said diskshaft; substantially as specified.

11. In a gin-feeder, a bat-former, a pickerroller adapted to receive cotton from the batformer, and means for feeding a greater amount of cotton to the ends than to the middle of the picker-roller and bat-former; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. SEIFERT.

Witnesses:

W. F. MCCULLOUGH, G. A. BOSTON. 

